About Us

The Ethiopian Institute for Nonviolence Education and Peace Studies (EINEPS) was established in the aftermath of the 2005 post-election violence to provide an alternative direction in Ethiopia’s three decade long dysfunctional political engagement. Our goal is to introduce strategic nonviolent action in the absence of a national strategy that embraces Ethiopia as a whole. EINEPS is the first national institution to address this urgent need across ethno-national, regional as well as religious groups. Given the early stage of this effort, it is a primary goal of EINEPS to establish a strong institutional foundation on which to build our programs.

EINEPS works to build a world of mutual understanding among the Ethiopian people, in which nonviolent processes are used to reconcile conflicts, build community and bring about democratic governance. We seek to study and apply approaches that will foster more harmonious relationships at every level in our society.

Thus the mission of EINEPS is: to heal, empower and revitalize lives and communities through the practice of nonviolence as a way of life; to create a sustainable society that honors the dignity and worth of every human being through education, inspiration, and cooperative action; to establish that each person can change the future of our country in the direction of peace through their daily nonviolent choice and action.

EINEPS will accomplish this mission by providing educational and research opportunities, and leadership development via in-person-training and distance education, and help facilitate such programs throughout Ethiopia and in the Diaspora. We will collaborate and partner with other organizations doing peace-building and nonviolent action work locally, nationwide, and globally.

Our vision is a nation of justice, peace, and freedom, which is free from war, tyranny, poverty and environmental degradation. It is a revolutionary vision of a beloved community where differences are respected, conflicts are addressed nonviolently, oppressive structures are dismantled, and where people live in harmony with each other and the earth, nurtured by our common experiences that foster compassion, solidarity, and reconciliation.

And, our objectives are to build a culture of nonviolence and peace through education, research, advocacy and institutional transformation; and to establish nonviolence as a way of life for the individual, a strategy for a social change, and a foundation for a culture of peace in Ethiopia and its citizens around the world.

So far, EINEPS has conducted trainings, workshops, and seminars on nonviolence direct action; produced the Citizens’ Charter for a Democratic Ethiopia, which is intended as a manifesto of Ethiopian democracy based on the free citizen, a multinational state, and self-governing communities; and translated A Force More Powerful documentary film and other documents and currently, we are in the initial phase of production for mass distribution.